Smart material activated by heat and electricity

According to the team, the design paves the way for a variety of potential applications, including clothing that warms up in the winter and vehicle bumpers that return to their original shape after a collision.

Made with polymer nano-composite fibres from recycled plastic, the programmable fabric can change its colour and shape when stimuli are applied.

“As a wearable material alone, it has almost infinite potential in AI, robotics and virtual reality games and experiences,” said Dr Milad Kamkar, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo. “Imagine feeling warmth or a physical trigger eliciting a more in-depth adventure in the virtual world.”

The novel fabric design is said to feature a combination of highly engineered polymer composites and stainless steel in a woven structure. 

Researchers created a device similar to a traditional loom to weave the smart fabric, with the resulting process described as extremely versatile, enabling design freedom and macro-scale control of the fabric’s properties.